Tigella — Italy

Tigelle, also called crescentine, are small round flatbreads about ten centimetres across, made in the Apennine foothills around Modena, in Emilia-Romagna. Each disc is thin, pale and slightly puffed, with a soft crumb that stays warm long enough to be split and filled at the table. Reports of this bread come from mountain villages in the province of Modena, where it was historically baked between two heated terracotta discs, called tigelle, resting in the embers of a wood fire. The same name has come to describe both the cooking discs and the bread itself. The dough is a simple mix of flour, water or milk, a little fat, salt and a leavening agent, kneaded until smooth, rested, then rolled and cut into small rounds. These are cooked between hot terracotta or cast-iron discs, or on a flat griddle, until lightly browned on both sides and cooked through in the middle. As soon as they come off the heat, each round is split horizontally and filled. The most common filling in this area is a spread called cunza, made of lard, garlic and rosemary pounded together, though many households and trattorie also fill the warm bread with cured ham, salami, soft cheese or a spoonful of tomato sauce. Reports describe the bread itself as fairly constant across the area, with variety coming mainly from what goes inside.